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Fri Mar 10 2006, TheW innipeg Free Press
By Holly Harris
IF Mauricio Wainrot were standing at St. Peter's Pearly Gates, there's a good chance he'd get through with little more than a nod and a well-choreographed step or two.
The Royal Winnipeg Ballet's production of The Messiah, choreographed by Wainrot, had its Winnipeg premiere Wednesday night with the artist in attendance.
The mature Argentine choreographer is not shy about adapting major choral works for ballet, and is best remembered for his stunner Carmina Burana, last seen here in 2004. He has visualized Handel's iconic Messiah score as a swift-moving, crowd-pleasing contemporary ballet, with the women in soft slippers rather than pointe shoes.
Carlos Gallardo's pristine white costumes and stark white set, consisting only of simple benches and stage masking, helped to suggest everything from a spiritual purification rite to a flock of pastoral sheep or a heavenly chorus of angels. While there was no storytelling, one could discern imagery in the sometimes jazzy choreography, such as an inventively staged crucifixion.
Wainrot's blazing movement barely paused to catch its breath during its dizzying 32 sections. His eye-fetching geometrical patterns brought an unexpected ruggedness to Handel's lofty music, particularly with the male ensembles and several unusual pairings of dancers. Each section ended with a striking sculptural effect, often with one dancer lifted heavenward by a group into a tricky pose.
Handel's oratorio, much pruned to 80 minutes in length with no intermission, was performed by the University of Manitoba Singers, impeccably prepared by Henry Engbrecht, with guest soloists Monica Huisman, Colleen Skull, Kurt Lehmann and Victor Engbrecht. A scaled-down Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra was led by RWB associate music director Tadeusz Biernacki.
If one had to choose only one section of this work for the proverbial desert island, He Shall Feed His Flock would be the one. Tara Birtwhistle and Johnny Wright's exquisite pas de deux brought a searing emotional resonance to this aria, encapsulating all the yearning tenderness of Handel's music.
Vanessa Lawson's sparkling performance in But Who May Abide showed a dancer perfectly suited for the intricacies of this music. With the energy of a quicksilver bullet, her turn-on-a-dime precision flawlessly matched the baroque ornamentation and brought visual fulfilment to the ornate score.
Sarah Murphy-Dyson, who is retiring at the end of this season, received a gift of choreography from Wainrot. He added a new pas de deux to this 1998 ballet, set to Thou Art Gone on High, for her to share with Wright, her husband. Her warmth and natural, effortless grace demonstrated why this beautiful dancer will be sorely missed.
But then there were the imponderables. Although having the company remain seated upstage on the white benches for much of the show created an air of expectancy -- appropriate when waiting for a messiah -- this at times diffused the energy of what else was happening onstage.
It wasn't until well past the halfway mark that the benches were moved at all into a different formation. When they were -- finally -- during the PIFA (pastoral symphony) the visual change came as a relief. But it didn't last, and when the dancers assumed the position again, a certain static quality began to seep in.
Music purists are likely to be rattled by the ballet's severely truncated Messiah, and stymied as to why many of their favourite Part II arias (with nary a Part III in sight) are missing.
The show culminates in the vocally and choreographically exultant Hallelujah Chorus, virtually guaranteeing a standing ovation. Wainrot never set out to create a literal narrative, but intended rather to pay homage to Handel's divine work. All he asks is that his audience -- as with faith -- keep an open mind to his unique vision. What is offered in return is an intriguing interpretation of a classic, stamped with Wainrot's own brand of organic spirituality that makes room for all.
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